Bradford & Bingley 28, Preston Grasshoppers 18

Hoppers supporters in the crowd at Wagon Lane yesterday might point out that the bounce of the ball just was not with them throughout this National League Two North game.

Even a kick from in front of the posts from Alexander Zavallis-Roebuck cannoned off the upright, but any examination of the game, especially in the second half, would surely show that the home side were deserved winners.

It was simply the best performance of the season so far from Bradford & Bingley and, aside from the quarter of an hour before half-time, where the visitors picked up 13 points to lead at the interval, the home side were on top.

Once Tom Cokell's score just after half-time, converted by Tom Davidson, got the home side in front there was only ever going to be one winner.

So far this season, Cokell has been consistently the best player on the Bees side, but yesterday several of his team-mates stepped up to the mark and gave coaches Stuart Dixon and Robin Kay real hope that their charges can turn this season round.

Brett Mitchell in the second row is the Bees' most improved player this season, and the youngster put in his best shift of the season and must surely have impressed the watching Yorkshire selectors.

Skipper Ryan Wederall opened the scoring for the Bees on seven minutes as his forwards took a line-out ball from 20 metres out and drove for the line.

It was Wederall's fifth score of the season and set the tone for the opening 25 minutes of the game. However, the Bees seemed to take their collective foot off the pedal and the 15 minutes before half- time belonged squarely to the visitors, with Jordan Pearson crossing for a five pointer and Zavallis-Roebuck adding eight with the boot.

The half-time oranges must have had added steel as the Bees came out for the second half playing at a higher tempo than the Hoppers, and that remained the case for the remainder of the half.

Ben Greaves galloped home from 70 metres out to follow Cokell's score, and no sooner had the home support finished talking about Greaves' gallop to the line than the referee was under the posts awarding a penalty try as the Bees pressed home their superiority.

Pearson claimed a second score on 66 minutes, which had Bees supporters feeling slightly nervous, but rock-solid defence exemplified by the play of scrum half Mark Gemmell and excellent tactical kicking from Davidson kept the Hoppers at bay as the clock wound down.